Activities abound for youth during February school break

With February school vacation week fast approaching, the Recreation Division of Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) urges young people to sign up for one of the many free programs and activities being offered this month.

“The February school vacation week is once again full of youth recreational activities planned by the Boston Centers for Youth & Families Recreation Department,” said Dana Barros, former Boston Celtic and current director of recreation for the City of Boston.

And in news sure to bring smiles to parents’ faces, the city’s programs are free.

“Thanks to our partners like the Boston Police Activities League, you can keep your allowance money in your pocket,” said Barros.

Some of the activities include:

• An indoor softball skill session, where girls ages 9-18 will get a chance to work on the fundamentals of hitting, running and throwing taught by expert clinicians and college coaches. Sponsored by the Boston Red Sox, Bridgewater State College, John Hancock and the Boston Police Department, the sessions will be offered at Jamaica Plain Community Center at English High School from 4-7 p.m. Feb. 20 through Feb. 22, and at the Murphy Community Center in Dorchester from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 21 through Feb. 23. A third location may be added. For more information or to sign up, contact Larelle Bryson at 617-635-4920 x2218.

• A street hockey tournament for boys and girls ages 7-14 to compete against each other for a chance to play for the city championship. Sponsored by the Boston Bruins Foundation, the tournament will run from Feb. 20 through Feb. 23 at the Condon Community Center in South Boston. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to sign up, contact Mike Devlin at 617-635-4920 x2145.

• An indoor track and field clinic for young people ages 6-14 hosted by the Northeastern University Huskies Track Team on Feb. 21 from 12:45-2:45 p.m. Highlighting skill techniques of high jumping, hurdling, turbo javelin tossing and more, boys and girls will have an afternoon at the Cabot Physical Education Center hosted by head track coach Sherman Hart. Space is limited and individuals/groups need to pre-register. For more information, contact Barbara Hamilton at 617-635-4920 x2136.

• A Frog Pond ice skating party for 100 youth — both seasoned skaters and newcomers alike — on Boston Common, hosted by BCYF Recreation on Feb. 20 and Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is free, but pre-registration is required. For more information, contact Barbara Hamilton at 617-635-4920 x2136.

• A question and answer session with athletes from the U.S. National Track & Field Team. Learn what it takes to be a world-class athlete from 3-4 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Tobin Community Center in Mission Hill. For more information, contact Barbara Hamilton at 617-635-4920 x2136.

For more information about additional programs and activities still being planned, call the BCYF Recreation Division at 617-635-4920 x2228.

Wi-Fi partnership improves Web access for affordable housing tenants

As part of a community partnership between the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) and the Castle Square Tenants Organization, BFIT students install wireless Internet in the Castle Square Apartments, an affordable housing development in the South End. Made possible through the City of Boston, The Boston Foundation and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the partnership has allowed more than 150 Castle Square families to receive Wi-Fi Internet in their homes since its inception in 2005.

BFIT also manages the Castle Square Technology Center, which features two recording studios, video recording equipment and computers that support editing software. The fruits of those additions — including a music video entirely written, directed and filmed by Castle Square teens — were on display during a recent celebration of the partnership attended by more than 120 guests.

“This partnership celebration illustrates how a community organization can work with a local college to the mutual benefit of both organizations,” said Will Arvelo, vice president of employer development and external relations at BFIT. “Bridging this technology gap is just one method that BFIT uses to fulfill its mission of developing its students into good citizens.”

As a result of this evolving relationship with Castle Square, BFIT recently submitted a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation with the goal of offering wireless technology services to other low- and moderate-income housing developments in the South End, Chinatown and throughout greater Boston.

Cambridge College and Project Hope team up for “neighborhood college” in the heart of Roxbury

CAMBRIDGE — Cambridge College has been awarded a $70,000 grant by the Mabel Louise Riley Foundation to lay the groundwork for what the College hopes will become a true “neighborhood college” in the Dudley Street neighborhood of Roxbury. What began with a dialogue with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) has now become a dynamic collaboration between the college and Project Hope, which provides a wide array of services to neighborhood residents.

State law requires staff at child care centers to have college degrees, a mandate that may soon be extended to licensed family day care providers. Acting to meet that need, Cambridge College and Project Hope will train a group of 20 low-income early care workers form the greater Dudley neighborhood and provide them with a package of credit-bearing courses that will lead to a certificate in early care and education.

“We are extremely excited about the prospect of working with the people and organizations of the Dudley Street Neighborhood,” said Joel Nitzberg, director of Cambridge College’s Institute for Lifelong Learning and Community Building.

One major element of the program aims to provide Dudley residents improved job training and access to higher education. Less than 40 percent of Dudley neighborhood families earn incomes that enable them to maintain economic self-sufficiency, and only 7 percent of Dudley Square residents have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, limiting their career opportunities and earning potential.

Elizabeth Zarrella, director of development and external affairs for Project Hope, said the partnership’s greatest impact will be developing and extending resources that can help improve those dire numbers.

“Child care workers will gain the educational skills to better their career prospects, the children they serve stand to gain from higher-quality care, and Project Hope’s classroom space in our new building will be used to broaden opportunities for the community,” Zarrella said. “This is a partnership that can lead to unlimited potential for the community.”

The initial program will begin in mid-February and will continue for one year. Cambridge College is currently looking for a neighborhood coordinator to develop a more extensive program to continue beyond this year.